Robotics
QARM
Lead Through Laboratory
for MATLAB Simulink
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1
QArm Concept Review
Lead Through
Why Explore Lead Through?
Often with industrial manipulator applications such as welding, a process must leverage a robot's ability to
carry out a task with high accuracy and repeatability, while also leveraging the operator's skill and
experience with deciding the path taken by the tool of interest, for example, a welding torch. For such hybrid
operator-machine applications, 'Lead Through' allows the operator to physically drive the end-effector and
tool through the path of interest, while the manipulator learns the trajectory. This lab will include two parts.
The first section will have you implement code to allow the manipulator to record/learn the path it follows.
The second section will then have the manipulator repeat the trajectories in a separate task.
Figure 1 SMErobot invention by ABB: Lead-Through-Programming (Image credit: ABB AG)
2
Lead Through
Lead Through is used to teach robot tasks such as welding or spray painting, where the path may be
customized or non-trivial. The robotic arm is taken through its operating path manually by hand, while the
joint position sensors record the joint trajectories. The trajectories are logged at a high enough sample rate
in memory such that, when played back, the end-effector will follow a continuous path. This method has
the advantage of simplicity but requires reprogramming for each new task. If the operator makes a mistake,
the learning process must be restarted.
A Control’s Perspective
From a control’s perspective, the human operator acts
as the controller. The desired position is the operation
path that the end-effector must follow. As the
operator holds the robotic arm and guides it through
the desired position, the human operator essentially
applies forces/torques to the manipulator’s joints in
any direction necessary. The relative position of the
end-effector compared to the desired setpoint is
captured by human eyes which form a feedback loop
Figure 2 Control Block Diagram for Lead
to the control system.
Through
Operating Procedure
When working with the physical manipulator, you will safely be able to interact with it and move it by hand
during the learning phase. When working with the virtual manipulator, physical interactions are not possible.
In this case, you will use the keyboard to drive the arm instead. Your keyboard commands will be interpreted
as end-effector linear speeds in the 3 cartesian directions, making the interface to the robot intuitive. A
forward kinematics formulation will be used to track the end-effector position while you move the arm
along a specified operational path. After the data logging is complete, a separate software routing will use
the stored joint angles as command inputs to the manipulator.
Figure 1.3 Lead Through Workflow Diagram for Learning the Path
Figure 1.4 Lead Through Workflow Diagram for Executing the Path
